SHILLONG: The A’chik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum (AIJIF) has sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the State Government provides proper rehabilitation packages to the surrendered militants.
In a memorandum to the Prime Minister on Monday, the Forum said that Meghalaya Government is yet to extend rehabilitation packages to the surrendered cadres of various militant outfits of the state.
“There is also a need for proper counseling and establishing of rehabilitation centres so that these surrendered cadres are motivated enough to lead a peaceful and normal life in the mainstream”, the Forum said.
There is also a need for coordination between the Centre and the State Government to bring about peace in Garo Hills, it said.
“ It is feared that the surrendered cadres will return to militancy in the absence of any concrete efforts on the part of the State Government to rehabilitate them. After a series of surrender by militants in Meghalaya, there is a growing fear that the delay in release of benefits under the rehabilitation package may create hurdles for future surrender of militants:, the Forum said.
The memorandum also highlighted a number of issues which include the statehood for Garo and Khasi – Jaintia, influx of outsiders, exploitation of natural resources, border disputes with Assam and trans-shipment of weapons from Bangladesh into Assam via Meghalaya which have given rise to the insurgency in the state.
Few other reasons which have propelled insurgency in this region are unemployment coupled with nexus of criminals from across the border which has its bearing on the rise of such militant groups, the Forum said.
Easy money has often been a luring factor for the unemployed youth to pick up weapons, and the border with Bangladesh, despite being guarded, has ample gaps due to the nature of terrain, the NGO said.
That, coupled with the anti-social elements on both sides of the border, contribute to the gun running, kidnapping, killing and extortion , it said adding that the lines of communication especially in the Garo Hills and interiors are under developed or almost absent.
“Lack of effective communication infrastructure prevents the reach of security forces and the administration which finally gives rise to corruption, poor implementation of central schemes”, it added.
